Blueberry variety named &#39;Sky Blue&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct Rabbiteye blueberry variety is described. The variety results from selection among a population of seedlings derived from crossing the blueberry varieties known as ‘Centurion’ (not patented) and ‘Rahi’ (not patented). The fruit of this new variety is large and firm, with an attractive appearance characterised by good bloom; fruit has an outstanding quality with good balance between sugar and acidity. Plant is upright with medium to good vigour and medium yield. The new variety has been named ‘Sky Blue’.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application61/198,468, filed 6 Nov. 2008, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety to the extent not inconsistent herewith.

GENUS AND SPECIES OF PLANT NAMED

Vaccinium virgatum

VARIETY DENOMINATION

Sky Blue

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This new rabbiteye blueberry variety was selected from a population ofseedlings derived from crossing the blueberry varieties ‘Centurion’ (notpatented) and ‘Rahi’ (not patented). The new variety was selected inFebruary 2000 from among plants located at Ruakura, Hamilton, NewZealand, and was assigned the breeder code, F110. The new variety hassince been named ‘Sky Blue’.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The fruit of this new variety is large and firm, with an attractiveappearance characterised by good bloom; fruit has an outstanding qualitywith good balance between sugar and acidity. Plant is upright withmedium to good vigour and medium yield. The new variety was originallyreferred to as ‘F110’ but has since been named ‘Sky Blue’.

The new variety is characterised as follows:

Maturity period: mid season, about the same window of ‘Rahi’ and 3 to 4weeks earlier than ‘Centra Blue’ at the Ruakura, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Plant form and vigour: the plant is upright in habit with medium to goodvigour.

Yield: medium.

Berry size: large, bigger than ‘Centurion’ and ‘Rahi’.

Color: medium blue.

Fruit bloom: strong; attractive.

Pedicel scar: small.

Plant health: the plant has shown symptoms of the early stage of rustinfection (Pucciniastrum vaccinii) with no subsequent sporulation and nodefoliation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the plant,foliage and fruit of the new variety as depicted in colors as nearlytrue as is reasonably possible to make the same in a color illustrationof this character.

FIG. 1 shows a young plant of ‘Sky Blue’ planted in the field. FIG. 1Awas taken in April 2008, and FIG. 1B was taken in September 2009.

FIG. 2 shows the adult plant of ‘Sky Blue’ planted in the field(September 2009).

FIG. 3 shows the typical leaves of adult plant of ‘Sky Blue’ (labeled inFIGS. 3A and 3B as ‘NZ F110’) collected in New Zealand in March 2009 andcompared to the leaves of the parental plants ‘Centurion’ (FIG. 3A) and‘Rahi (FIG. 3B).

FIG. 4 shows the typical flowers collected from mature plants of ‘SkyBlue’ (labeled in the figure as ‘F110’) in October 2008 and compared tothe flowers of commercial varieties ‘Rahi’, ‘Centurion’ and ‘Maru’.

FIG. 5 shows a close up of the characteristic flowers coloration of ‘SkyBlue’.

FIG. 6 shows the green fruit of ‘Sky Blue’ (labeled in the figure as‘F110’) compared with the fruit of parental plants ‘Centurion’ and‘Rahi’.

FIG. 7 shows typical large fruit of ‘Sky Blue’ (labeled in the figure as‘F110’) compared with the fruit of parental plants ‘Centurion’ and‘Rahi’.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The observations, unless otherwise specified, were made in the 2008 and2009 seasons on nine year old plants propagated and grown at Ruakura,Hamilton, New Zealand and additional information was collected fromyoung plants (3-5 years old). All dimensions in millimetres, weights ingrams (unless otherwise stated). Color terminology is in accordance withThe Royal Horticultural Society Colour Charts 2001 edition.

-   Plant and foliage:

This hexaploid plant is generally upright with medium to good vigour.The mature leaf is lanceolate in shape and typically averages 74 mm inlength and approximately 44 mm in width, similar to ‘Rahi’ (76 mm inlength and 39 mm in width) and bigger than those of ‘Centurion’ (58 mmin length, 35 mm in width). Generally the leaf margin is serrate, mediumto little glossiness on the upper surface, and no glaucescence on theupper surface. Typically the petiole length averages 3.2 mm. The colorof the leaf is near Green 137B, differing to that of the parents‘Centurion’ (near Green 137A) and ‘Rahi’ (near Green 137D). The leafvein color is near Yellow-Green 148A.

The color of mature dormant wood is near Yellow-Green 148A on the topside of the cane and near Yellow-Green 148C on the underside of the samecane, differing from that of the parents ‘Centurion’ (near Red-Purple60B on the top side of the cane and near yellow-green 146B on theunderside of the same cane) and ‘Rahi’ (near Yellow-Green 146B and 146Con the top side of the cane and near Greyed-Red 178C of the same cane).

-   Inflorescence:

The average number of flower buds per shoot is 10, with an observedrange of 5-18. The estimation of number of buds per shoot was made onthe fruiting (terminal) sections of shoots; this section typicallyaveraging 20 cm in length and the average total shoot length is 56 cm.

Flowers are generally clustered and the width of the typical floweraverages 7.4 mm, larger than those of both ‘Centurion’ (averaging 6.5mm) and ‘Rari’ (averaging 6.7 mm). The background color of the petals onfully open mature flowers is near White 155C and the anthocyanincoloration of the petals is near Red-Purple 68B and 68D, differing fromthose of the parents ‘Centurion’ and ‘Rahi’, both near White 155C withno anthocyanin coloration.

-   Fruit:

The fruit is large under New Zealand growing conditions, averagingapproximately 2.4 g. Observations indicate fruit size is bigger thanthat of the parents ‘Centurion’ and ‘Rahi’ (averaging 1.4 g and 1.7 grespectively).

The fruit diameter of ‘Sky Blue’ averages approximately 17.3 mm(observed range 15-19 mm) under New Zealand growing conditions, biggerthan that of the parents ‘Centurion’ and ‘Rahi’ (averaging 13.7 mm and15.3 mm respectively). Unripe fruit is green, within the range nearYellow-Green 145B differing from the green fruit color of ‘Centurion’and ‘Rahi’, both near to Yellow-Green 145A.

Ripe fruit of ‘Sky Blue’ has an attractive bloom. Fruit color is mediumblue, with the bloom intact, near Blue 103C, differing from the variety‘Centurion’ (near Blue 100C) and ‘Rahi’ (near Violet-Blue 98C). The skincolor of the fruit of the variety ‘Sky Blue’ when bloom is completelyremoved is near Black 202A.

Observations indicate the pedicel scar of fruit of ‘Sky Blue’ is small,approximately 1.7 mm in diameter, similar to that of ‘Rahi’ (averaging1.5 mm) and differing from those of ‘Centurion’ which were very small(1.1 mm). The scar is generally dry.

The fruit sweetness is high and the Brix level averaged 14.3%, (observedrange 12.7-15%), intermediate between the fruit of the parental plants‘Rahi’ and ‘Centurion’ (averaging 13.9 and 14.9 respectively).

The fruit acidity measured as titratable acidity (%) averaged 0.4(observed range 0.3-0.5%), similar to ‘Centurion’ (0.5%). Fruit isgenerally firm, averaging 215 g/mm (observed range 200-235 g/mm) andsimilar to that of ‘Rahi’. Yield is medium, averaging over 4 Kg peradult plant under New Zealand growing conditions.

Seed size is approximately 1.73 mm, with an average number of seeds perfruit of 43 (observed range approximately 20-66).

-   Events:

According to observations the time of vegetative bud burst was aroundthe 10 September, about 10 days later than for the parents ‘Centurion’and ‘Rahi’. Time of beginning of flowering recorded in New Zealand wasaround one week after the vegetative bud break and reaching an estimated50% of the flowering around the 8 October, similarly to ‘Rahi’.

The fruit maturity period occurs in mid season, typically the fruitcommences ripening around mid January to mid February at the Ruakura,Hamilton, New Zealand, In 2008 50% of blue fruit on the bush wasestimated to occur about the 27 January, similar to ‘Powderblue’ andabout one week later than ‘Centurion’ and ‘Rahi’.

-   Disease and pests:

The plant showed symptoms in 2008 of the early stage of rust infection(Pucciniastrum vaccinii) with no subsequent sporulation and nodefoliation.

1. A new and distinct Rabbiteye blueberry variety substantially as described in the specification and illustrations. 